There Is No Place Like Home!

We are back, safe and sound .   Our emotions are all over the place .   It is a mixture of being so happy to be back home with our family & friends, being exhausted from our experiences and travels, missing the boys and our hosts in Venezuela, and wishing we could have stayed longer and done more .   It is almost like being a little shell shocked .   So much of the week continues to spin through my head and hopefully I will be able to recap our experience in detail now that we are back .   I am slowly catching up on my sleep and have normal internet access so I will get to work on telling our story .   I do have about 4000 pictures to organize and go through to pick the best ones to tell our story, so continue to be a little patient with me por favor .   Just know that we all gained so much from this amazing experience and feel blessed to have been able to help our new friends in Venezuela through all of your prayers and support .   MUCHAS GRACIAS!

It Is So Hard To Say Chow

Wednesday

We arrived early and each team went to finish up all incomplete tasks.  Our hope is to finish every project that we started.  On a personal note I went straight to work on trying to upload our pictures to the blog from yesterday.  The internet was completely out at our hotel.  We have VERY SLOW dial up here at the La Granja and it has taken way too much time to get anything blog wise done.  Fortunately this has been beneficial because it gave me extra time to spend getting to know the staff, volunteers, and the boys.  All of the boys have books and they have asked each of us to write something to them in their book before we leave.  All of us broke away from whatever we were doing to sit and write in their books and spend a few minutes with them.  They have all had hard lives and this facility is often the first place they have lived where they felt safe.   They are all amazing kids who still have their own individual struggles and we are forever grateful for the time we have spent with them.

The Electrical Team spent the day finishing all the projects they had started and did an amazing job.  Extreme Gardening only had a few loose ends and they all help finish things up with the Painting Team.  The team working on the wall finished all the prep work and helped the masons begin building the wall.  The plumbing team worked very hard to try to repair as many issues as possible.  We wish we could stay here as long as needed and get every issue repaired.   We are all very proud of what we accomplished.  

After lunch a new Cooking Team was formed and dinner was prepared for all of the wonderful hosts who have taken great care of all of us this week.   We grilled steaks, chorizo, corn on the cobb, and potatoes.  It was delicious and we all enjoyed eating outside around the new fire pit. 

Then it was time to pack up and get ready to leave.  It is very hard to say goodbye to these young men.  They have lost so much and it feels as if our leaving is only adding to that.  Many tears were shed and lots of hugs were given.  We want to just pack them in our suitcases and bring them home with us.  They all expressed the hope that we would come back next year.  How do you say no to that?  We gave a few small tokens of love back and forth and drove away.  Please, Please, Please, pray for these young men to continue to progress in the programs Project Jonas has provided and to grow in Christ.

We are leaving the hotel tomorrow and the ability to blog may not be available.  This may be the last one till we return.  I will be able to post many more pictures and tell you even more when we get home.  Please pray for safe travels for our team.  

                                                                                  Love, Team Venezuela Construction Team 2 - 2011

"ROCK"ing Right Along

Tuesday

This morning our team all met for breakfast and devotion at the hotel restaurant.  We enjoyed starting our day in such a positive way.  It was raining this morning and luckily much of the extreme gardening had been completed.  That was fortunate for the painting team because they gained a few more team members.   We all found work that could be done indoors.  Everyday there has been a small group that has made a trip to the equipment store.  It is a very time consuming trip and there has been one in the morning and one in the afternoon almost every day thus far.  This small group didn’t make it back to the farm until lunch time today, but came bearing our much needed tools and we all gathered around like puppies waiting on a treat.

The tools and equipment needed to do one of the big projects finally arrived and work on “the Wall” was set into high gear.  They are modifying an old and failing retaining wall and building a new wall in front of the existing wall.   The adult boys had a great time competing to see who could drill a hole into the concrete wall the fastest.  A little healthy competition gets the job done faster.  Earlier in the week the wall team had taken a sledge hammer to the concrete and tile in front of the existing wall and dug footings for pillars.  Once the drilling was complete the moving of stone for construction of the wall took place and everyone got involved.  It was all hands on deck.  We made a line and passed the rocks from the truck to the wall area.  It too was completed in record time.  We did have one man down for the count today.  Mindy was running a bit of a fever but our very own Nursepractitioner Eliza is there to help us and boy are we all grateful.

It is amazing to see all we have gotten done in just the short amount of time we have been here.  The front of the La Granja looks amazing with the extreme gardening and painting that has been done.  We have fixed many of their electrical and plumbing issues and we have started the wall.  Tomorrow is our day to wrap things up.  We want to get so much done for these boys in hopes of making life a little easier for them.  They have been through so much already and they are so in need of encouragement and love. 

One last note, the internet is very slow to non existant.  These messages will be delayed, but we hope you can enjoy follwing along with us.  Please remember to continue to pray for all of us.  Saying goodbye tomorrow is going to be a very tough thing for all of us

Sherrie doing a great job with the painting.

Flat Nikki is working very hard and following Kim around today.

Speed Drilling

Moving rocks

Take Cipro & .....

Work Hard, Play Hard!

Now that we are home and I am attempting to tell our story in a little more detail, I realized this post did not ever actually upload to the blog.  Love that internet access in Venezuela!

Monday

We had a very bein dias.  We got an early start, headed to the farm, and went right to work.  All of the teams were rocking right along.  With the boys at Project Jonas' help, we are really getting mucho accomplished.  Extreme landscaping and Electrical teams really "Rocked It!"  Things here are a little different than at home.  We have access to tools, supplies, and most everything we need here, but it is all just different enough that we will have a little more gratitude for our "Home Depot".  All of these little challenges are teaching us to be flexible, durable, and adjustable as we really mold into the BEST volunteer groupo ever!

Flat Nikki looking for flood lights at EPA

At the end of the day we had a Scavenger Hunt.  Half of the sentence would be in English and the other half in Spanish.  Each of the boys at the farm were paired with someone in our mission team.  We had so much fun trying to figure out where the list would take us and what we were supposed to do when we got there.  There were more smiles and laughs from the boys during this game, than we have seen since we got here.  It was an exciting, fast, and fun bonding experience.

Next we put the new fire pit to good use.  We all gathered around the pit and roasted marshmallows and made S'mores.  This was a new wonderful treat and the boys really loved them.  

We ended the day with a Surprise Birthday Bash for Big Nate!

The staff here at Jonas Project put together a wonderful party.  We had a taco bar, an amazing cake in looks and taste, and Latin dancing.  Nate as well as the rest of our group had a wonderful time and are so blessed to have such wonderful friends here to help take care of us.  

The Pit Crew!

 Jody, Ronnie, & BJ- 1st Place in the Scavenger Hunt

Birthday Boy Big Nate can take the heat!

S'mores!

And there was light!

The Electrical Team 

Nate and his beautiful Birthday cake!

Desi, Flor, Nate, Santiago, & Ne

NPCC in VZ

What an amazing day!  We started our day with church in Barquisimeto.  It is almost like being at home, except for the language thing.  Though the service was in Spanish we could pretty much get the basic concept of the message about marriage and staying in love.  North Point has played a huge role in this church and it has very similar music, messages, and environments.  We got a back stage tour and the VIP treatment.  It was amazing what they do to provide a place for the people of Venezuela to have a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.  We were so blessed to be able to experience North Point Church's influence so far from home.

After church we headed to the farm to start work.  We had a rain delay so we spent time with the boys for the short time until lunch.  We have the BEST hosts!  The are feeding us "yummy yummy" food.

We divided into teams and started our projects.  We were very productive this first half day.  There is so much to do and we hope to make a huge dent in the needs of the farm.  We would love to over do it, but we want to be able to finish all the projects we start.  Hopefully as the week goes on you will be able hear and see more about what we are doing.  We are working very hard and time to blog is short but I will do my best.

Tomorrow we are staying late at the farm for dinner and games with the boys.  Be expecting another blog tomorrow about the work and fun.

 Pastor Jose Rea

 Our group with several people from Las Buenas Nuesvas del Este.

Leaving Iglesia to begin the hard work ahead.

We Made It!

We are here in Venezuela.  We left relatively late Friday evening and arrived in Caracas really late Friday night.  After customs and hotel check in there was little time for sleep.  We were up and out before dawn for the short flight to Barquisimeto.  We stopped for breakfast before checking into the hotel with several of the staff members of the Jonas Project, since it took several of them to drive all of us and our luggage from the airport to Hotel Tiffany.  We got settled into our accommodations and prepared ourselves for the drive to the farm.  The farm or la granja is what we will be working on this week.  It is a beautiful building and grounds that the government has given to Project Jonas as long as they can keep it well maintained.  It needs LOTS of work.

Once we arrived we had a large meet and greet.  Each of the boys in this program and several of the staff members presented each of us with a gift basket.  It was a great way to get to know one another and we love our goodies.  We all are especially thankful for the handful of interpreters who make getting to know each other possible.  We had a delicious lunch with the boys and then ventured around the grounds to pick our projects.  We are breaking into several teams and will be doing painting, plumbing, extreme landscaping, electrical work, and masonry.

We also took time at the end of the day to play games and swim with the boys.  It was a great way to bond with them and learn more about the personality unique to each of them.  These young men are the real reason we are here and we pray we reflect God's unconditional love to them.  Many, we have been told, have had tough lives and this program is an answer to their prayers.  We already have fallen in love with them and hopefully over the week we can share a little about each of them so you will fall for them too.  Please pray for them and their growth in the program and in Christ.

A third of our group was kind enough to forfeit their dinner and do some shopping for supplies so we will be ready to get started after church tomorrow.  The rest of us had dinner here at the hotel and couldn't quit talking about the blessings we have already received.  We are so grateful to be able to serve God and Project Jonas.  Once we were all back together in our nightly meeting it continued.  I wish you all could be here to share in this moment but hopefully this blog will give you a glimpse into some of our joy!

 Our team packed and ready to go at the Atlanta Airport.

 The Aeropuerto in Barquisimeto.

 Mindy & Deivis at the meet and greet with the gift basket we each received.

 David (aka Stumble) & Rickey assessing the electrical issues.

 Pool playtime.

Buff, Emily, Kim, & Dawn with Counselor/Comedian Johnny on staff at the farm.

Thank You Thank You

Well we finally did it.  We, thanks to so many of you, were able to raise the money we needed as a team to do God's work in Venezuela.  We sent out emails, letters, had fundraisers, and yardsales.  God is good and we will put the money you have given to very good use.  We continue to ask for prayers and again say Thank You!

Not so flat Nikki visits Flat Nikki and several others in our group at the yard sale.

WinShape

As a group, it is extremely important that we learn how to work together to accomplish the most for those we plan to serve.  On Saturday, April 30th, we took part in a team building adventure at WinShape in Rome, Georgia.
Here is a little about WinShape.

Founded in 1991, WinShape Wilderness started as an entrepreneurial business using an existing ropes course located on the Mountain Campus of Berry College to provide team building for Chick-fil-A Operators, church and school groups, as well as corporate clients. Fifteen years and tens of thousands of participants later, WinShape Wilderness has been positioned under the umbrella of the WinShape Foundation side by side with six other programs. With a new purpose, to glorify God by creating adventure experiences that encourage spiritual transformation, WinShape Wilderness is dedicated to using adventure to equip people to experience real change, not just in a team setting, but also through personal transformation.  Through the ropes course, participants are introduced to five key components to transforming their team: building trust, improving communication, creative problem solving opportunities, the power of encouragement, and practicing celebration.  Our group experienced all of these things, and learned so much about each other.  We have been transformed from a group of 18 people, into ONE team!  You can learn more about all the programs WinShape provides by checking out the link below.
 http://www.winshape.org/
Here is a little glimpse of our wilderness adventure.

  Our guides for the adventure.  Ricky & Mark

We started with a few group activities. 

We made a circle with a bulls-eye in the center and charted our feelings.  For example "Are you afraid of heights?" or "Do you enjoy the outdoors?".  We learned some very interesting things about each other.

 We then divided into two teams.

  We had to figure out how to make a five point star with a rope tied into a circle.  You could not let go of the rope and both teams got tangled, but we learned to work together.

We also learned quite a few new handshakes.

For example:

Miles tries out The Logger

Rickey learns the Exploding Rocket.

BJ & David Milk the Cow

We also learned the Over Achiever, Squirrel, and Slappy Salmon.

To get to our next two adventures, half the team was blindfolded and led silently to the next activity.

We learned how to trust each other and work together without words.

First, we had a team task where we had a square grid of blocks, and had to cross from one side of them to the other.  Once someone was touching a block it was active, and to stay active a team member had to continue to touch that block.  If you took your foot off before someone else put there foot on the block. the guide would remove the block, and we needed ALL the blocks.  Every team member had to be inside of the grid, before a team member could exit the grid, on the opposite side from where they started.  It sounds complicated but we did the task with ease, no mistakes, and worked very cohesively.  

The next adventure was to continually balance on a teeter totter as we gradually added team members.

If we lost balance and hit the ground, we had to start all over.

We only had to start over once.

We got very close as a team in more ways than one.

This is how we walked back to the main building for lunch.

They called it taking the bus.  

It did have a lot in common with a school bus if you think about it.

    After lunch we headed to the JUMP POLE!

Thank goodness no one lost their lunch, but the excitement and nerves were in high gear!

Everyone completed the climb and jump!

Stephen and Sherri were the first to brave the POLE.

Dawn & AndreaJo climbing the POLE.

Eliza & Buff figuring out how to get from sitting to standing atop the POLE.

BJ & David jumping off the POLE to grab the trapeze.

 Jody & Lance on a very graceful return to the ground.

After the POLE, we got the thrill of doing the Flying Squirrel.

It was so much fun.  

You get harnessed in again, hooked to a rope, and you take off running.

The rest of the team runs away with the other end of the rope and you get flung into the air.

 Nate preparing to run.

 Noel on takeoff.

 Kim getting her run on.

 Buff lifting off.

 Eliza 's spread Eagle.

 Emily always has a smile, and waves Hello.

 Lance laughing and loving the ride.

 Benton soaring through the trees.

This adventure had to be the highlight of the day.

Our final task was the Trust Fall.

A task of trust and teamwork.

Each team member stands atop a small pole and falls backwards into the arms of the rest of the team.

We all fell in love with this team.

 Dawn getting ready to fall.

 The team ready to catch.

 AndreaJo taking the fall of faith.

We all enjoyed this wonderful bonding experience and can't wait to use all we learned to serve others.

 Our Team with our guides Ricky & Mark.

Team VZCT2-11

The Greatest Team there ever was!

Thank You friends and family for following us on our Adventures!  

Your prayers and support mean so much to all of us!

You can see more pictures by visiting our Picasa Album at the link below.

https://picasaweb.google.com/109197513686530233734/VZCT211Winshape?feat=directlink